USA > Nebraska > Nebraska history and record of pioneer days, Vol IV > Part 2
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HISTORICAL SOCIETY LIBRARY
The following items are a few of the titles recently acquired by this library by gift, exchange or purchase. Most of the genealogical books were obtained by exchange for the Nebraska Historical Collections and othe" duplicates from Mr. Frank J. Wilder of Somerville, Mass. Mr. Wilder is a life member of this Society.
Ma flower De cendants in Cape May County, New Jersey
Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Mass.
Scituate Second Church Records
Farly Connecticut Marriages, 7 volumes
Memorial History of Hartford, Conn.
Commodore Barney
Colonia1 Records of Rhode Island
Collections of Rhode Island
Proceedings of Rhode Island
American Indians, Chained and Unchained
The Great American Desert
The World War, Saunders County
Records of the World War, Field Orders
Land Evidences in Rhode Island
The Blanket Indian
Hu'd's History of New Hampshire
Hud's History of Essex County, Mass ..
History of Framingham, Mass.
History of Middlesex County, Mass.
History of Milford, Mass.
History of Norfolk County, Mass.
THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
Curator E. E. Blackman furnishes the following notes upon recent additions to our museum:
As the years go by the public appreciates more and more the im- portance of preserving the evidences of our rapidly changing conditions of life. So our museum grows. The pressing problem is where to place the constant valuable gifts.
The tractor is now turning over the sod on our western plains, and where once grew the curly buffalo grass, now are seen whole sections of ripening golden grain. The tractor has ceased to be a curiosity-but the little "grasshopper" breaking plow is a thing of the past. You need not be very old to remember when this "square cut, rod plow" was found on every homestead, you can remember when it was a curiosity because it was new and simple in construction. Now it is a curiosity because it is ancient. Mr. Jack Hurst of Trenton has presented a genuine "grasshopper." Grandchildren of the present day will look with wonder on this implement.
Before the days of the victrola, was occasionally seen a "Swiss music box." You wound up a spring which rendered a number of tunes by the action of a brass cylinder set with steel pins. In 1885 D. E. Thompson, former minister to Mexico and Brazil, purchased a Swiss music box for $1,000 and presented it to his sister, Miss Eva Thompson of Lincoln. This music box is an elaborate instrument. It has six cylinders and each cylinder carries six tunes, with the organ accompani-
13
HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
ment and a bell ringing attachment. Miss Eva Thompson has presented this Swiss music box to the museum, where it will teach coming genera- tions the process of mechanical music before the days of the victrola. She also presented a Mexican mill, a water jar and a huge key from Mexico.
Mr. Thurlow Lieurance presented to the museum a Chinese harp made in a crude way by stretching shark skin over a wooden frame. Cords are attached and it resembles a huge banjo.
Possibly the most interesting addition to the photograph department is the work of Arthur L. Anderson of Wahoo. It consists of three huge albums containing the full and complete World War activities of Saunders county in photographs, fully named and described. Mr. An- derson has produced a work of great artistic merit as well as a very valuable historical record, which should be seen to be appreciated.
Small donations, each of which is interesting and instructive, have been received from time to time; a wooden "brace" used by carpenters when Nebraska was being built, by J. C. Hurst, of Trenton, a facsimile of the Seal of Nebraska by Hodge White of Beaumont, Texas, a watch from the Chicago fire by George Klein of Lincoln; a scabbard from Custer battlefield by A. N. Keith of Kaycee, Wyoming; an Indian bow from the McKenzie battlefield, Wyoming; a unique wooden saddle found on the plains and other specimens by Mr. Keith. A complete set of Lillie corn husker hooks from Rev. Edgar Rothrock of Holmesville; a number of documents and bills from the Castetter bank at Blair.
While at Decatur, Miss Martha Turner secured for the museum an Omaha "Medicine Man's Cap." This cap was placed as a loan by Mrs. Theresa T. Milton, daughter of Mrs. Mary Fontenelle Tyndall. This head dress was the property of "Hetheneka" who was a Medicine Man in the Omaha tribe. He died in 1888. It was the property of his forefathers, having passed to the eldest son from generation to genera- tion. Henry Milton inherited it on the death of Hetheneka in 1888, but he has no sons, so it is placed in the Historical Society for safe keeping.
There is no better friend of historic research in the Nebraska region than George J. Remsburg, now of California. Not a month goes by that he does not send some interesting item of early days in the Ne- braska region to our Society. Among the latest is a story of an in- cident in Richardson county in the fall of 1860. It was called "Steal- ing a Grist Mill" and is unique in Nebraska history. The story con- densed is that early in 1860 A. M. Hamby who was running a saw mill at Falls City induced W. C. Foster of Kansas to go into partnership. Mr. Foster had a grist mill consisting of a run of bearings, the frame supporting them and the necessary cog-wheels to run it. These he re- moved to Falls City and attached to Hamby's saw mill. Differences arose between the partners and Mr. Foster finding himself at a disad- vantage in a Nebraska law suit resolved to help himself to his own
property. At night with two heavy lumber-wagons and four good horses his forces gathered in Falls City. After spying out the land, about midnight they moved into the mill yard and began action. The
frame of the mill was bolted firmly to the sills of the building. A heavy wrench had been brought along and as the nut turned on the rusty bolt the creaking sounded like filing a saw, and caused all to start with the fear that they would be discovered. Industriously they worked and in a few minutes it was carefully lifted from its resting place and laid upon the saw dust. A span of horses was soon brought up and hitched to the mill. It was dragged over the soft ground a quarter of a mile or more to where the wagons had been left. In a few minutes it was carefully taken apart and placed in the wagons and the party were as anxious to get out of Nebraska as they were a few hours before to get in. Quietly they pursued their journey until just as the day was dawning, they came in sight of the timber near Mr. Foster's Kansas
14
NEBRASKA HISTORY
home. Then the five good singers who were in the party struck up with one accord, "Home, Sweet Home," and never was it sung with a more hearty good will.
FIRST HAT FACTORY IN NEBRASKA
We are indebted to Mr. Fred E. Bodie of Blair, for several recent important contributions to Nebraska territorial history. These contributions have come from examination of old docu- ments in the possession of the Castetter Bank of Blair. This bank and the business which preceded it go back to the be- ginnings of Washington county. As receiver in charge Mr. Bodie has had occasion to go over these early documents and had discernment to recognize their historical value.
The document which follows is the first record thus far found of a hat factory in Nebraska. The city of Desoto had then a population of more than 1,000 people, two newspapers, steamboats tying up at its river front to discharge cargo, en- terprising business men, real estate promoters. To-day it is a horse pasture, three miles from Blair. The Missouri river has deserted its former channel and wandered away a mile or more eastward. And now after more than a half century, comes to light these ancient articles of co-partnership with their most interesting figures on the cost of hats, printed ac- cording to copy as follows :
Article of agreement made and entered into this 3rd day of January A. D. 1862 by and between Joel Ruly of the City of De Soto County of Washington and Territory of Nebraska and John H. Hoskinson of the Same place the above named parties to this article mutually agree with each other and by these presents do Enter into a co-partnership for the purpose of manufacturing Hats in the City of De Soto County Washing- ton & Territory of Nebraska and we the above named Joel Ruly and John H. Hoskinson do further agree and Bind ourselves by these pre- sents to Each Share alike the expences of furnishing the tools necessary to Manufacture Hats. And it is further agreed between us that the material out of which the Hats are made to be furnished by us and that each one of us is to pay an equal proportion for the same but in the event that either one of the within named parties should furnish more stock than the other that the said party so furnishing shall be allowed to draw the amount of money so furnished out of the capital stock of the firm before any division shall be made & after the same shall be taken out by the respective party entitled to the same that the balance shall be then equally divid between the Parties to this instrument after first paying for the Making of Said Hats and we further agree by and be- tween ourselves to each furnish an equal proportion all the material necessary to carry on a regular Hattery business Stock included and that John H. Hoskinson, one of the within firm is to manufacture Said Hats in a good workmanlike manner out of the material so furnished and for such prices as is laid down in a Schedule or Bill of prices hereto attached marked A and in consideration for said Labor each of us the parties herein name viz Joel Ruly and John H. Hoskinson are to pay and equal proportion of said Labor which pay is to be taken out of the Hats so manufactured before any division Shall be made or any disposition made of it other than is heretofore expressed.
15
WYUKA-ORIGIN OF NAME
In Witness Whereof we have hereunto set our hand and Seal this 3rd day of January A. D. 1862.
Joel Ruly Seal John H. Hoskinson Seal
In Presence of
Charles D. Davis P. W. Lecombe
A
Making Caster bodies each
50 cts
napping Caster bodies with beaver, otter, or muskrat each
50 cts
making rabbit hats each 50 cts
making wool bodies each
35 cts
napping wool bodies each
371/2 cts
making wool hat each
3712 cts
Finishing caster hats each
1834 cts
Finishing rabbit hats each
121/2 cts
Finishing wool Bodies napped each
121/2 cts
coloring each hat napped
121/2 cts
blocking and washing out after coloring
5 cts
pulling and cutting coon skin
4 cts
pulling and cutting muskrat skin
3 cts
trimming caster hats each
1212 cts
trimming wool bodies napped each
10 cts
trimming rabbit hats each
10 cts
trimming wool hats each
5 cts
scraping and cuting rabbit each
3 cts
Making roram bodies each
40 cts
The wool is to be carded equal by both parties pulling cutting Beaver skin each
25 cts
otter do.
25 cts
wolf do.
20 cts
Making smoth caster hat
75
WYUKA CEMETERY-ORIGIN OF THE NAME
The secretary of the Wyuka cemetery calls up to ask the origin of the cemetery name. This inquiry has frequently been made of the Historical Society. It may be well to put in printed form information upon this subject.
In the Dakota or Sioux language the intransitive verb wanka means to rest, to lie down. To recline, kun-iwanka. The name of a couch is owanka. The pronunciation of wanka is very much as though it were spelled wong-kah.
In the Dakota or Sioux language pronouns are incorpor- ated with the verb, but for the third person singular no in- corporate pronoun is used. In order then, to find the simplest form of the verb in Sioux we look to the third person singular instead of to the infinitive as in English. Therefore wanka exactly means in Dakota, he rests or he lies down.
The Nebraska legislature in 1869 passed the act providing that eighty acres of land belonging to the state of Nebraska, not more than three miles distant from the state capitol build- ing, should be selected by a board of trustees and approved by
16
NEBRASKA HISTORY
the governor as a state cemetery. The act does not name the cemetery. The name was given after the site had been lo- cated and the tradition associated with the name is that it was "Indian" for resting place. This is approximately correct.
Lincoln and Wyuka cemetery are located in what was Otoe territory. The Otoe language is a dialect of the Dakota or Sioux language. The Omaha and Ponca languages are like- wise dialects of the Dakota. The conversion of the Otoe word "wong-kah" into Wyuka is easily understood. Very commonly Indian words are mispronounced, due to the fact that the white man's ear does not correctly catch the exact pronunciation of the Indian tongue. There yet remains to be determined who of the early pioneers of Lincoln found and bestowed the name Wyuka on the state cemetery.
JAMES MURIE AND THE SKIDI PAWNEE
Murie is a familiar name to students of the Pawnee tribe and Indian wars on the Nebraska border. Captain James Murie commanded a company of Pawnee scouts during the Sioux-Cheyenne war. He was married to a Pawnee woman. In his later years he lived in the Grand Island Soldiers' Home where he died. He was a brave and efficient soldier, recog- nized by a special resolution of the Nebraska legislature in 1870.
James Murie, son of Captain Murie and a Pawnee mother, has been for many years a valuable helper in the work of col- lecting the history and folk lore of his tribe for publication. He is a graduate of Carlisle, speaks English well, knows the tribal traditions and is passionately devoted to their preserva- tion. The editor of this magazine is indebted to Mr. Murie for assistance in visits to the Pawnee at their home in Okla- homa.
The 35th Bureau of American Ethnology report has this reference to Mr. Murie's present work :
Mr. James Murie, as opportunity offered and the limita- tions of a small allotment made by the bureau for these studies allowed, continued his observations on the ceremonial organi- zation and rites of the Pawnee tribe, of which he is a member. The product of Mr. Murie's investigation of the year, which was practically finished but not received in manuscript form at the close of June, is a circumstantial account of ',The Going After the Mother Cedar Tree by the Bear Society," an impor- tant ceremony which has been performed only by the Skidi' band during the last decade.
THE NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Made a State Institution February 27, 1883.
An act of the Nebraska legislature, recommended by Governor James W. Dawes in his inaugural and signed by him, made the State Historical Society a State institution in the following:
Be it Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Nebraska:
Section 1. That the "Nebraska State Historical Society," an or- ganization now in existence-Robt. W. Furnas, President; James M. Woolworth and Elmer S. Dundy, Vice-Presidents; Samuel Aughey, Secretary, and W. W. Wilson, Treasurer, their associates and successors- be, and the same is hereby recognized as a state institution.
Section 2. That it shall be the duty of the President and Secretary of said institution to make annually reports to the governor, as required by other state institutions. Said report to embrace the transactions and expenditures of the organization, together with all historical addresses, which have been or may hereafter be read before the Society or furnished it as historical matter, data of the state or adjacent western regions of country.
Section 3. That said reports, addresses, and papers shall be pub- lished at the expense of the state, and distributed as other similar official reports, a reasonable number, to be decided by the state and Society, to be furnished said Society for its use and distribution.
Property and Equipment
The present State Historical Society owns in fee simple title as trustee of the State the half block of land opposite and east of the State House with the basement thereon. It occupies for offices and working quarters basement rooms in the University Library building at 11th and R streets. The basement building at 16th and H is crowded with the collections of the Historical Society which it can not exhibit, including some 15,000 volumes of Nebraska newspapers and a large part of its museum. Its rooms in the University Library building are likewise crowded with library and museum material. The annual inventory of its property returned to the State Auditor for the year 1920 is as follows:
Value of Land, 1/2 block 16th and H. $75,000
Value of Buildings and permanent improvements. 35,000
Value of Furniture and Furnishings 5,000
Value of Special Equipment, including Apparatus,
Machinery and Tools 1,000
Educational Specimens (Art, Museum, or other) 74,800
Library (Books and Publications) 75,000
Newspaper Collection 52,395
Total Resources $318,195
Much of this property is priceless, being the only articles of their kind and impossible to duplicate.
NEBRASKA AND RECORD OF
HISTORY PIONEER DAYS
Vol. IV
April-June, 1921
Number 2
CONTENTS
Editorial Notes 17-18
The Major Day Military Papers. 19-20
Further Note on Walker's Ranch 20-21
Dripping Fork Cave of the Platte 22-23
Nebraska History Publications 24-29
Recollections of Judge Grimison .30
Diary of William Dunn, Freighter 31
Fort Atkinson Park 32
PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY LINCOLN
Application made at Lincoln, Nebraska for admission mail as second class matter-under act of July 16, 1894.
THE NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Founded September 25, 1878
The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded Sep- tember 25, 1878, at a public meeting held in the Commercial Hotel at Lincoln. About thirty well known citizens of the State were present. Robert W. Furnas was chosen president and Professor Samuel Aughey, secretary. Previous to this date, on August 26, 1867, the State Historical and Library Association was incorporated in order to receive from the State the gift of the block of ground, now known as Haymarket Square. This original Historical Association held no meet- ings. It was superseded by the present State Historical Society.
Present Governing Board
Executive Board-Officers and Elected Members
President, Robert Harvey, Lincoln
1st V-President, Hamilton B. Lowry, Lincoln
2nd V-President, Nathan P. Dodge Jr., Omaha
Secretary, Addison E. Sheldon, Lincoln
Treasurer, Philip L. Hall, Lincoln
Rev. Michael A. Shine, Plattsmouth
Don L. Love, Lincoln
Samuel C. Bassett, Gibbon
John F. Cordeal, McCook
Novia Z. Snell, Lincoln
William E. Hardy, Lincoln
Ex Officio Members
Samuel R. McKelvie, Governor of Nebraska
Samuel Avery, Chancellor of University of Nebraska
George C. Snow, Chadron, President of Nebraska Press Association Howard W. Caldwell, Professor of American History, University of Nebraska
Andrew M. Morrissey, Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Nebraska Clarence A. Davis, Attorney General of Nebraska
NEBRASKA AND RECORD OF
HISTORY PIONEER DAYS
Published Quarterly by the Nebraska State Historical Society
Addison E. Sheldon, Editor
Subscription, $2.00 per year
All sustaining members of the Nebraska State Historical Society receive Nebraska Hstory and other publications without further payment.
Vol. IV April-June, 1921 Number 2
A. M. Brooking of Hastings, was a valued visitor at the Historical Society rooms recently. We have the promise of an early historical article from him on Indian sites.
From Miss Sarka B. Hrbkova in New York City the Nebraska Histor- ical Society has received a number of valuable historical documents re- lating to the history of the Bohemians or Checho-Slovaks in America. Nebraska is one of the most important centers of Checho-Slovak settle- ment and has a large place in the history of that people.
"Papers of the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance of 1851" is the title of a volume of 900 pages published by the Academy of Pacific Coast History at Berkeley, California. It is a most valuable and inter- esting document upon the time when law and order were taken into the hands of committees rather than legal officers. Nebraska has consider- able history of that kind herself.
A letter from Henry Wyman of Omaha says: In the summer of 1919 I graded off the top of the ridge of the lot, which is now known as Lot 7 in Florence Heights,and which comprised a part of the original Block 147 of the City of Florence, now included in the City of Omaha. The bones sent you were plowed up at a depth of about one foot below the surface, and, from their lay, the skeletons were buried in a northerly and southerly direction. A farmer, who used the land some twenty years ago told me that he had plowed up bones and pottery, but, I am inclined to think, he mistook parts of skulls for pottery, although pieces of pottery have been unearthed in that vicinity.
From Mr. W. R. McGeachin we have received copy of a speech de- livered by Judge Gaslin at Alma, April 14, 1880. The speech contains a great deal of early history of the Republican valley. No one was better qualified to give this than Judge Gaslin, who was one of the most original personalities in the pioneer period. The secretary of the His- torical Society would be glad to receive true stories concerning Judge Gaslin by those who knew him. He will add some of his own, for some of the most enjoyable hours of his life have been passed in the company of Judge Gaslin. A collection of Gaslin stories would make a valuable printed addition to our pioneer history.
18
NEBRASKA HISTORY
Phil R. Landon (Parson Bob) writes from Sterling: I am taking good care of the old Indian trail on north acre and will erect a monument soon for its preservation.
Among Nebraska's historical characters Thomas H. Tibbles has a place which cannot be taken by anyone else. His range of activities covers those of frontier preacher, "editor of a Nebraska farm," editor, lecturer on Indians, newspaper correspondent, populist candidate for vice-president and many others. Mr. Tibbles has written so many books and pamphlets in his eighty years that he cannot give their titles. One of them printed in 1881 has just been added to the Historical Society library. It's title is "Hidden Power, a Secret History of the Indian Ring." In it are discussed in story form some of the wrongs of trans-Missouri Indians as Mr. Tibbles saw them at that date. The names (with exception of two or three) are fictitious, but the scene is laid in the Nebraska re- gion and the very evident purpose is to describe living charac- ters under donated names. Mr. Tibbles will be asked to furnish a key to this book for the benefit of future historians. The first sentence of the book contains an historical error which was very common forty years ago and still lingers in some places. It reads thus :
When Lewis and Clark made their voyage up the Missouri river in 1803, after toiling for many days against the rugged current of that turbid stream they landed at a place on the eastern shore and held a council with the Indians. They named the place Council Bluffs and it is so called to this day.
The truth that Lewis and Clark came up the Missouri in 1804 and that the Council Bluff where they met the Indians is in Nebraska, not Iowa; that it adjoins the present site of the charming village of Fort Calhoun, sixteen miles north of Omaha and that Council Bluffs, Iowa, simply appropriated the name about the year 1853-as a good advertising medium-in gradually gaining general acceptance. It is a shock to find the old untruth set down in the first sentence of Mr. Tibbles' book.
There is no desire for more bank failures in Nebraska by the State Historical Society. But if others come there is the hope that the persons in charge may have sense of historical values such as that shown by Mr. Fred E. Bodie at Blair. Probably all the older banks, real estate and lawyer's offices in the state have important documents of early days thrust away in pigeon holes and forgotten.
19
MAJOR DAY PAPERS
THE MAJOR DAY MILITARY PAPERS
A recent letter from Carson City, Nevada, reads in part as follows :
I have found among the papers belonging to my father, the late Major Hannibal Day, U. S. A., certain papers relating to the early history of the then territory of Nebraska. I am forwarding them to you.
S. H. DAY.
The documents transmitted with the letter are four in number, two printed and two in manuscript. They are briefly described as follows :
1. Map of Wagon Road from Platte river to Omaha Reserve, Dakota City and Runningwater. George L. Sites, Supt., 1858.
This map contains names and locations of the following places no longer found on the map of Nebraska: Excelsior, Iron Bluffs, Saunte, Saline, Fairview, Eldorado, Farmer City, Golden Gate, Cuming City, Central Bluffs, Omadi, Logan, Wa- capana, Secret Grove.
2. Map of Fort Ridgely and South Pass Road. This road ran from Fort Ridgely in Minnesota southwest across the Da- kota region to a point near the junction of the White river with the Missouri. Presumably it was to be extended up the White river toward the South Pass where the Oregon Trail crossed the Rocky Mountains. 1858.
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